Niwot’s Cranny is named Colorado’s Gatorade girls x-country runner of the year

Elise Cranny of Niwot is Colorado’s Gatorade girls cross country runner of the year.

In becoming Niwot’s first winner, Cranny is recognized not only for outstanding athletic excellence, but high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character.

The 5-foot-4 junior won the Class 4A state championship in October in 18 minutes, 41.3 seconds. Cranny also won the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional championship in 16:59.9 and finished seventh nationally at the NXN Final, in 19:43.

Cranny’s grade-point average is 4.21. She’s a member of the National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and has volunteered locally on behalf of an area food bank.

“Elise is always extremely humble, but her athletic accomplishments speak for themselves,” Niwot head coach Sam Catterson said. “What truly sets her apart are her leadership skills and her character.”

Neil Devlin, originally from the Philadelphia area, has covered high school sports in Colorado for more than 30 years, writing about the people, athletes and events that encompass the Rocky Mountain prep sports world.